The warm December weather has brought with it a good showering of rain at the beginning of the month. The vegetation at our lodges is lush and green. Since then, there has been very little rain, with the result that there is little surface water. In Kruger Park, the Central Section around Satara has experienced much the same conditions, resulting in a lot of game around the Nsemani Dam and Girivane waterhole.
On the guest front , we had a good December. Our valued travel agents appreciate our decision not to implement our usual annual increases. This has allowed them some leeway in selling our safaris to cash-strapped tourists. We have committed ourselves to keeping our tariffs fixed until the end of April 2005, which date corresponds roughly with the end of the season for overseas clients.
Gameviewing in Kruger has been good, with the guides reporting good sightings of lion, buffalo and elephant. The situation with elephant is so good that we are considering offering money-back guarantees on elephant sightings. The official census figures for elephant is 12125 , which is about 4500 more than the assumed carrying capacity for Kruger Park. Culling is a very emotive issue and the Park authorities are very aware of how public opinion, both local and international, must be respected. A big " indaba' has been arranged for April at Skukuza and we shall keep you updated . In the meantime, we are getting quite blase about elephant sightings - the guides think that they are almost as common as impalas !
We celebrated Christmas day with all our Viva Safaris guests at the Cheetah Inn, where a good meal was enjoyed by all. The day was especially good as our clients saw a pack of wild dogs and cheetah in the Park.
NEWS AT TREMISANA GAME LODGE
The tortoises in the reptile pit are breeding. A clutch of 6 eggs was found about 3cm under the soft sand. We are not sure when the youngsters will hatch, but need to keep a daily eye on things as the baboon troop will very quickly dispose of the newborn tortoises.
Our guestbook is crammed with the usual superlatives both on the gameguiding and on the excellent food, especially Delina's soups. Thank you to all our staff for maintaining an excellent record year after year.
The Vodacom tower technicians have chased away the Pied crows that were nesting right at the top of the tower ( 55 metres up ). We have mixed feelings about their action : on the one hand , the crows were raucous and did chase other smaller birds away , but on the other hand, we miss our daily wake-up call ( especially so since roosters aren't allowed in the game reserves ).
Our pond has seen an increase in the number of platanna frogs. They seem to be too quick for the hamerkop heron who seems to prefer the tilapia fish anyway.
Birdlife at Tremisana is excellent at the moment. Tremisana Dam at the bottom of our estate is dry, with the result that all the birds in the area are drinking at the water features within the camp itself. On a recent gamewalk, we came across a newly hatched Crested Spurfowl ( previously named Crested Francolin) . The nest was less than 50 metres from the camp, again indicating the Spurfowl's dependence on the camp for water.
NEWS AT MARC'S CAMP
Brett and his staff must be complimented on the excellent first impression our clients have on arrival. The pool area is especially attractive, now that we have introduced some loungers with mattresses - an ideal way to pass the warm hours near the pool !
We have also added fans to the treehouses - this has a doubly pleasing effect : by day the treehouses are cooled and by night the breeze keeps any mosquitoes away - precluding the use of mosquito nets , if our guests so desire.
Buffalo are seen on every game walk and are easily photographed. The impala herd has had a good crop of youngsters this year and so far very few have fallen prey to the hyena and leopard on Marc's Camp property. The rhino are a little less nervous and have been seen near the Adventure Camp.
The Adventure Camp has been booked for 200 learners in January - we are keen to make this a huge success as it will set a new record. Fish have been introduced into the Obstacle Course dam to keep down the number of aquatic insects. The live displays at the hall have been upgraded and our learners can look forward to an educationally stimulating experience.
NEWS AT CHEETAH INN
We had a visit from Prof Paul Laridon , from Wits University. Paul specialises in Maths Education and we plan to use Cheetah Inn for conferences . The local schools have many teachers who will benefit from courses, especially with the implementation this year of OBE ( Outcome Based Education ). We have already hosted conferences for delegates from the Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture. The pleasant surroundings and country atmosphere at the Cheetah Inn are conducive to a very relaxed atmosphere which the delegates love.
On the improvements front, we are redoing the bar - starting with the refrigerator. We are closing the wall from the bar to the TV lounge with a sliding door - thus allowing for effective airconditioning in the bar and also having the room aired properly. We hope to have this all finished by end of January. In the interim, we shall open the bar at the swimming pool.
May all of us at VIVA SAFARIS take this opportunity of wishing you a happy and fulfilling 2005. To our travel agents especially , we thank you for your continued support in 2004. We pledge our total commitment to excellence in all facets of our operation and look forward to another successful year.
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